Looking for a CamperVan for 1 for 2-3 months

LynneJacob · Member

Looking for a CamperVan for 1 for 2-3 months

jimbo · Guru

Very good descion Folks! Australia is second too none and I have been everywhere..Wish I could help I know my fellow Nomads will look after you....Good Luck and see you around the traps

eagles · Veteran Member

Hi Lynne, this link may be of some interest to you.

Dave.

http://www.standbyrelocs.com/

rosco · Senior Member

Hi Lynne

Not sure whether any members of the forum can help with a campervan.

Meanwhile another site to check out http://www.vroomvroomvroom.com.au/

Hope you get what you want.

Cheers from Newcastle

Ross

Cruising Granny · Guru

Hi and welcome Lynne. I feel your excitement about fulfilling one of your dreams. Go for it!
Depending on the length of time you plan to be in Oz, you may consider an outright rental from one of the camper-van/motor-home rental companies.
Doing it this way means you would be covered by insurance if things don't go according to plan. You would also have a support back up, rather than entering into a private arrangement.
All the best with your plans. Cheers from Adelaide.

milo · Guru

welcome , you could try this lot
http://sydneyrvcentre.com.au/buy-back-deals.html
you could by a van from them then when you wish to sell ,
they buy it back from you

DellieMay · Senior Member

Hi Lynne..Glad to hear you are heading this way. Australia is an adventuress country. Can't help you with a campervan, but do have a hard floor camper trailor that is kept spare out in the shed.
Cheers Dellie

milo · Guru

there are a quite a few campervan hire places around aus, these

might give you an idea in what you could get and what kind of prices they are ..

http://www.camper.com.au/?gclid=CM-opsGh36gCFc2DpAodcSm8qg

http://www.apollocamper.com/

hope that helps

good luck...

dogbox · Guru

lynne i hope you realize that june is our winter here as you will be leaving your summer.
you still might think it is like summer depending on what part of canada you call home eh!

i came here 40 yrs ago still haveing a look around

-- Edited by dogbox on Wednesday 11th of May 2011 08:13:28 PM

LynneJacob · Member

Wow! Thank you all SO much for your responses!

I'm setting out herein my "needs" while I'm visiting as much of your countryside as I can (the cities don't need me as a visitor -- more like I don't need them

, so if there's any point you help me on I'll be ever-so-grateful:

I'm now focusing on what's going to happen while I'm in Australia, and I haven't yet booked the flight simply because I'm not yet sure where I'm going to land. 3 options at this time are: near Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne. Why? Because I have a connection to a person in each of those places who can steer me around for the first couple of days (after sleeping off the jetlag, that is).

So ... do you happen to know anyone who knows about:
- Cattle drives? I found one on the internet last year and this year learned they only happen e/o year. Do you or anyone you know have any knowledge on cattle drives and where I would find them/one?
- All the cool "must-see" spots.
- Excellent high-speed internet connection for people travelling in a motorhome or campervan.
- Construction, Home-building, etc. Associations. I'm a business success coach, who helps trade-contractors enjoy much greater success in their businesses.

I know this is a long list, and I'm by no means expecting you to help me on every point. I'm just getting things clear in my mind and if I don't pass the info along, I would never know if there were one item you could help me with.

My 3 goals related to Australia are:
1. Cattle drive;
2. Tour a good bit of the continent;
3. Visit Ayers Rock.

During the 2 1/2 - 3 months I'll be there I'll also be
1. serving my existing clients -- hence I need reliable excellent highspeed giving me my inexpensive telephone connection to N.A.;
2. writing a book;
3. marketing my services to trade-contractors in parts of Australia;
4. covering my expenses while helping trade-contractors triple last year's profits in 6 months.

And in the meantime, I'll be investing time this weekend to study the links you fine folks have hooked me up with.

Thanks so much. Would love to get together for coffee with you while I'm there ... and could even do a phone call in the meantime.

the excited (and anxious) Lynne

LynneJacob · Member

ahhh, and here we think that of Canada! I'm ok with that, though. I LOVE to travel and I have heard so many great things about Australia that I know I won't be disappointed. This forum is already proof of that, Jimbo! Thanks to all.

milo · Guru

G'day Lynne ,
for the ports of call so to speak , with a campervan etc, you could
hire one from say brisbane, stay with friend, then drive to melbourne,
stay with friend and then do the drive across the Nullarbor and drop the van off at perth, which is quit good..

Nullarbor

you might find some cattle drives on the way, try at verious travel centres etc

if your comming over with a laptop of some sort

bigpond usb internet is the only real way to go when travelling in australia

with the best and most coverage around, you could possibley get a pre paid unit so not on any contract, which i used to have.. thats about all i can think of,

also work out when you want to come so when your hear you can get good weather, not stinking 35-40 degree heat days in summer and 12 degrees like it is during winter, so some where in between, any ways, good luck

-- Edited by milo on Friday 13th of May 2011 01:26:38 AM

LynneJacob · Member

Thanks so much, Dave! I'll be checking it out over the weekend.

LynneJacob · Member

very much appreciated, Ross. I'll check it out over the weekend.

LynneJacob · Member

Wow, Milo! You're a wealth of information. X-travel agent? Concierge, maybe?

I'm coming in the latter part of June, through to mid-September. We Canadians are accustomed to 12 degrees. In fact, I'll bet this week hasn't seen 12 degrees yet. Not like I want to sleep outside in that weather, but I'll see how it goes. It'll certainly be an easy space to heat and sub-zero sleeping bags work wonders. At my age, though, I'm no longer into big sacrifices when it comes to comfort. I'll stop at hotels along the way, if need-be.

And now that I've learned a bit more about the Forum's operation today, I know I can only post one thing at-a-time. So, I want to give a big SHOUT-OUT of GRATITUDE and APPRECIATION to

Dogbox,

DelliMay,

Cruising Granny and

Ross.

I'll definitely be checking into all of these options listed for rentals, buy-backs, internet ... again A HUGE THANK YOU everyone!

LynneJacob · Member

Ok, folks!!!

I know I posted earlier today my gratitude for all your help, explaining I'd be checking out the links over the weekend. Well .... it wouldn't be a worthwhile goal if it didn't excite me, now would it?

So, after spending numerous hours on this project this evening ... it's now 1:04 a.m. Atlantic Canadian Time ... and I've pretty much made a decision. I would LOVE your opinion on it, if you know anything about this model ... and its runner up:

The winner is ... (so far, I haven't booked it just yet) ... the Euro Tourer (Ford) from Apollocamper.com. (For which I greatly thank you, Milo, for the recommendation.)

The runner up is ... ouch, I'm still torn, so the tying runners-up are ...

a) the Toyota Hilux Voyager (which uses gasoline - though that's not a deal-breaker for me); and

b) the Backpacker Wanderer (sorry, I don't see the make of the vehicle).

I've decided to rent on your recommendations, for which I thank you. Wow, this has all been made so easy thanks to a yet-to-be-met-in-person Aussie friend of me directing me to this site last February. She's not even a member and it only came to mind for her when we were chatting about my plans.

I'm still not sure where I'm landing. Need a few phone calls to be made for that, but no doubt, I'll keep you posted. I look forward to our paths crossing ... soon.

Hugs ... BIG hugs ... to all,

Lynne

jack biggles · Senior Member

Glad you are happy Lynne.

I hope you arnt too disappointed when it comes time to sorting out the internet situation & I urge you to take a look at the telstra coverage map for mobile broadband.

As you know, Australia is a really big place, most of the population live in the major cities & of course the eastern seaboard is the most heavily populated one. That means there is a HUGE SPACE away from these areas with little or no people.

So in short, internet coverage isnt that flash, some would argue that the Telstra service offers the greatest coverage areas. In my opinion its expensive compared to other parts of the world & I hope you arent dissappointed with the amount of coverage we have (or for a better word for it, lack of coverage).

I plan to hit the road & take use of PRE-PAID mobile internet because ultimately if Im a few weeks out of range & my timing is right, I'm not paying for something I cannot access.

If your in the centre & other remote areas, be careful what you sign up for, internet wise, its rather expensive.

jack biggles · Senior Member

telstra coverage maps here :

http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/networks/coverage/broadband.html

http://www.optus.com.au/aboutoptus/About+Optus/Network+Coverage/Optus+Network+Coverage+Maps/NT

-- Edited by jack biggles on Friday 13th of May 2011 05:53:37 PM

LynneJacob · Member

Thanks for your information, Jack. I'm now so much clearer on this whole "internet while you travel" thing. It's already nearly as clear as mud. Before it was more like "I don't have a clue."

It seems to me that Telstra or BigPond - which seem to be affiliated - would be cellular phone service providers as well. I already had a request for info in to them and I've already received a response, adding to helping me gain some clarity. I've given her my specific need ... using VOIP to coach my clients in NA by telephone 6 days/month ... and I trust she'll be able to pretty much confirm whether or not that's do-able. If it isn't, I can just check into some 5-stars for those days. (A die-hard camper, eh? Already looking for excuses to take luxury vacations.)

When I stopped into one of my daughter's last night to pick up my 2nd-born grandchild, 3 1/2-yr-old Makisha, to take her, with my other two grandchildren, 3 1/2-yr-old Sebastian & nearly 2-yr-old Yalilé, Makisha came running out of their VW camper-van with her Daddy. I excitedly told her that I'm going to be living in a camper-van for 3 months, starting pretty soon ... but mine will have a shower and toilet. My son-in-law's response was cute: But of course Maemae needs a shower and a toilet!!

This whole trip is getting so exciting as the days draw nearer.

I was talking to a fellow from Brisbane this morning about mapping out the trip, maybe to work towards the warmer temperatures ... not sure how to explain it, but I guess to move around in a way to avoid most of the colder temps.

His recommendation was for me to start in Melbourne, move to up to Sydney, then Brisbane, go west to Mount Isa, Alice Springs, Ayers Rock, (I believe that puts me in the Flinders Ranges where I may find some cattle to drive on horseback), see Coopa Pedy (?sp?), Kings Canyon, then down to Adelaide. Perth is also on my list of places to visit.

I'm there for 3 months and travel isn't my only agenda so I definitely won't be killing myself to tick off a list of 100s of must-sees.

If you have a recommendation, Jack, I'd love to hear it, too ... as to where you feel I should land by plane.

Thanks for all your help.

Lynne

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

here are some sites for cattle drives

http://www.cattledrive.com.au/

http://www.mountaincattle.com.au/

http://www.australia.com/articles/sa_outback_cattle_drive.aspx

http://www.outbackencounter.com/holiday_summary.php?holiday_alias=great_australian_outback_cattle_drive_2010

LynneJacob · Member

Thanks, Wombat

Unfortunately the first link you sent is the one that I absolutely fell in love with last August when I started on this plan but I didn't realize the cattle drives only take place in July/August. Works perfectly with the cycle of my business, though, so I planned it for a year out. And now I've learned they only run them e/o year!

Another one there only drives cattle in Feb/Mar/Apr and not again until end-Sept/Oct/Nov.

Guess I'm meant to start on stations. I'm reading a lengthy booklet picked up from flindersoutback.com and will see where that takes me.

Thanks SO MUCH for your assistance.

Lynne

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

If there are no drives at the times you want why not email one of those and ask where you can tag along at the time you want, I'm sure they will help

-- Edited by _wombat_ on Sunday 15th of May 2011 02:58:53 PM

LynneJacob · Member

That's brilliant, Wombat. I would have never considered that!

DellieMay · Senior Member

LynneJacob....When you hit Qld, we have a number of " contacts", personal friends in Mt Isa, involved in horse racing, cattle stations etc that may be of interest to you. Wonderful friendly country people.
Let me know.